Don't Wait to Mitigate
There are four factors during a fire that affect the success a mitigation specialist will have in cleaning and restoration of fire damage:

1.	Time
	The more time that passes after a fire, the more difficult the restoration process will be and the greater the chance for permanent damage.
2.	Humidity
	The higher the moisture content, the greater the corrosive reactions and damage that can occur.
3.	Temperature and Pressure
	As the temperature of a fire rises every 10 degrees, the air volume doubles, compressing the smoke molecules and increasing the soot into a wider range of surfaces. The more pressure, the more smoke is driven into porous surfaces.
4.	Type of Combustion Materials
	Smoke residues from fires of natural origin, such as wood or paper, are easier to clean. Fires of synthetic or protein origin are harder.

The following article reveals more about how both the insurance agency and home owner can prevent additional damage from smoke.

What to Do Before the Smoke Clears
The devastation fire brings to both homes and businesses is well known, but often the damaging effects can continue with smoke. A reoccurring myth is that once the fire is out, it doesn't matter how long it takes a mitigation specialist to get there. Remaining smoke and gasses continue to cause damage even after the fire is out. This is called secondary damage.

The premise behind secondary damage is the longer acid or corrosive gasses found in smoke are on various at-risk surfaces, the worse the pitting or etching in these surfaces can become. Specific pre-cleaning methods can help protect:

Metal and glass surfaces Faucets Towel bars Aluminum window frames Chrome trim Marble Porcelain Tile/Grout China Crystal

Emergency cleaning of these surfaces can neutralize the acid residue. A simple way home owners can do this is to apply standard cooking oil (also called surfactant agents). These surfactants reduce the surface tension that is the attractive force water molecules have for each other. Surfactant is a surface-active agent that increases the emulsifying, foaming, dispersing, spreading and wetting properties of a product. Homeowners can spray cooking oil or apply bottled vegetable cooking oil on a rag and apply it to all of the surfaces listed above. This will greatly reduce the chance for secondary damage as it prevents the acid gasses remaining in the air from penetrating these surfaces. The oil can be easily removed later, but will save your furniture additional harm.

To further protect your surfaces from secondary damage, vacuum carpets and upholstery immediately-even though they will need to be cleaned later. The immediate vacuuming prevents soot from becoming ground in and helps reduce replacement costs.

If water is present, as is often the case after a fire, place a piece of aluminum foil under the legs of furniture to prevent the legs from staining the carpet, vinyl or tile. If the legs are metal, similar to what is found on occasional tables, foil will also help prevent rust stains.

Homeowners should not attempt to clean walls or ceilings on their own. Many try to use standard household cleaning agents. These agents cause the soot to permanently set in the surface. ServiceMaster Clean uses special "chem sponges" which look like large sponge erasers that are not chemically treated. These special sponges remove the soot without "setting the soot" in the surface.

These processes are just a few of the techniques taught in our Continuing Education courses to help agents and adjusters understand the time sensitive issues with fire losses. Our goal is to help more agents and adjusters realize that time is of the essence in preventing secondary damage. It is less expensive to mitigate the damage quickly than replace the items left more than 24-48 hours and are no longer salvageable. Emergency mitigation can save money in replacement costs.

Quick and appropriate action can save homeowners and insurance agencies substantial cost and peace of mind. When faced with the after-effects of fire, keep these tips in mind and you will be prepared when the smoke clears.